Wisdom Project Lecture Series March 27-28

Mar. 10, 2015

Brenau Staff

If you want to know what a community can do to capture the collective wisdom of its citizens who have spent a lifetime learning about business and professions, human behavior and life in general, you would be well served to check out the Wisdom Project Lecture Series March 27-28 at Brenau University East Campus at Featherbone Communiversity.

The program runs from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, March 27. The Saturday program is 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Both will be in Whalen Auditorium at 1001 Chestnut Street SE in Gainesville. Admission is $50 for BULLI and Wisdom Project members and $75 for non-members.

Kathy Amos, who heads the collaborative effort of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce and the university’s Center for Lifetime Study, BULLI, told members of the Gainesville Rotary Club Monday that many of the region’s growing retiree population have much to offer their community, and they want to stay active. The Wisdom Project seeks to establish direct contacts between those who want to help and those who need it.

The idea, she said, is not to wait on the off-chance that some community service organization has a problem, remembers that the CEO of a major corporation retired to the area, and calls for advice. The Wisdom Project gets ahead of the game by putting the brainpower into the mix to learn first-hand what the organization does and brainstorms ideas for making it function better.

The program, launched in 2012, is designed to harness life experience of the over-50 crowd. Participants tour local government and business operations, talk with local leaders, and get the brain gears turning as they see how things work. The idea is that this behind-the-scenes and front-line exposure to how the community functions will generate ideas for hands-on service projects and continued consultation to make things work better.

The lecture series, launching this year, seeks to broaden community participation. Amos said this year’s lecture series focuses on living fully and intentionally in the third stage of life.

The two-day lecture series has attracted a blue-ribbon panel of speakers representing businesses and institutions that provide services to seniors who will discuss problems and issues facing senior adults in the community.

For example, the Friday session, “Visioning Eldertopia,” features Amos who will be followed by Gus Whalen, founder of Featherbone Communiversity, with his program called “Rediscovery.” At 7 p.m. participants will hear “Adapting to Aging” with Dr. Swati Gaur, a geriatrician and specialist in palliative care at Northeast Georgia Health System in Gainesville.

The March 28 line-up begins at 10 a.m. with one of CNN’s favored authorities on our aging society, Dr. Brent Strawn, a professor at Candler School of Theology, Emory University with his topic titled “Examining my Spiritual Side.” Dr. Cynthia Park, associate rector at Grace Episcopal Church in Gainesville, presents “Generating a Legacy” at 11:30 a.m. Following lunch, Beth Schumaker, senior consultant at BrightStar Leadership Consulting and a certified third-age coach, will present “Reflecting on My Life.”

“If you come for no other reason than to hear her speak, you need to come,” said Amos. “She is an amazing woman.”

Amos said that the Wisdom Project not only is gaining stature in Gainesville and Hall County, but also in other parts of the country.

“The American Society for Aging, the largest aging organization in the country, has invited the ‘Wisdom Project’ to Chicago this month to present to more than 3,000 people,” she said. “That is how much of a difference we’re making.”